23 February 2012

Infographic – Premier League Manager Turnover

Yes, a post not solely on Liverpool. I actually have them in me now and then.

The Premier League has been rife with managerial gossip over the last few months, as the league always seems to be. Mick McCarthy was recently fired after five-and-a-half seasons in charge of Wolves. Martin O'Neill and Mark Hughes replaced Bruce and Warnock at Sunderland and QPR in December and January. Steve Kean spent his holidays celebrating still having a job before gratefully seeing his name out of the headlines of late. And then there's poor, forlorn Andre Villas-Boas, hanging on by fingernails as "senior Chelsea players" attempt to throw him off the Bridge. There have been three mid-season managerial changes so far this season; there were four last season (not counting O'Neill walking out on Villa just before opening day) and five in 2009-10.

Below is a cropped version of the graphic. Necessarily wider than it is tall, click on the image for the full-size version in a new window.

Just six clubs have had four or fewer managers since 2000: notably United and Arsenal, with Ferguson and Wenger in charge since the dawn of time, as well as Everton, Liverpool, Bolton and Wolves. The latter will exit that group soon, once Wolves finally find a replacement for McCarthy. United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Everton are also four of the seven clubs which have been in the Premiership for the totality of this time frame; Tottenham, Chelsea, and Aston Villa round out the septet.

The average number of managers each club has had over this time frame is 5.65. No, I'm not counting Alan Shearer as 0.65 of a manager. QPR leads the way with 11 "permanent" managers, 10 since 2006, dysfunctional in extremis after Holloway left until (and now seemingly including) Tony Fernandes' purchase of the club last August. Including caretaker managers, QPR has had 16 different bosses since the turn of the century. Newcastle and Sunderland are close behind with nine each, although Sunderland's tally includes the lone caretaker counted, Kevin Ball, who managed for more than two months during the Mackems' march toward inevitable relegation in 2006. And then comes Chelsea, with eight different managers since 2000. Soon to be nine, naturally, once Abramovich's yacht reaches port. The ravenous media almost always get their scalps. And they want their scalps.

With McCarthy's sacking, we're down to just five managers who have been in place since the 2008-09 season: Ferguson, Wenger, Moyes, Pulis, and Redknapp. Again, that band looks likely to lose another brother once England come calling for good old 'Arry. As always, nothing is permanent for very long.

Hmm. That was the reason I used start and end caps to differentiate the beginning and end of reigns. Without using two-color dashed lines, most of the teams would look alike because everyone seems to use one of two color schemes. But point taken; I do appreciate the constructive criticism.